At Kia Motors global headquarters in Seoul this morning, Kia Motors Corporation President, Hyoung-Keun Lee, and Michel Platini, President of UEFA, Union of European Football Associations, signed an agreement to extend the company’s sponsorship for the 2012 and 2016 UEFA European Football Championships.

Kia has been committed to sport for a number of years, including tennis, basketball, extreme sports and football, and this particular partnership solidifies the extent to which we want to continue that commitment, in Europe and around the world. Kia began its official corporate sponsorship of FIFA in 2007, for the FIFA 2010 World Cup™ but has been involved with football many years before that.

During the signing ceremony this morning, Mr. Platini answered questions for the Korean and foreign press about his thoughts for the future of football in Asia and Europe. He selected his favorites for winning this year’s FIFA World Cup™ tournament – including South Korea on his list of winners with a coy smile. The signing ceremony was brief but the partnership will last for many years to come…

Below you can enjoy some of the candid pictures our staff captured during the ceremony.